Matthew attended Harvard University from 2008 to 2010. He then took a leave of absence in order to research the Bible and same-sex relationships and work toward LGBTQ inclusion in the church. In March 2012, Matthew delivered a speech at a church in his hometown about the Bible and same-sex relationships, calling for acceptance of gay Christians and their marriage relationships. Since then, the video of the speech has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube, leading to a feature story in The New York Times that fall.

In 2013, Matthew launched The Reformation Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to training LGBTQ Christians and allies to reform church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Reformation Project has hosted conferences in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Orlando; the 2019 national conference will be held in Seattle from November 7-9. TRP also runs a leadership development cohort for LGBTQ Christians and allies each spring and has an increasing number of local chapters around the country.

If you would like to contact Matthew, please visit the contact page. If you would like to book him to speak at your church, university, or elsewhere, please fill out a request form through The Lavin Agency.